Improvement in bee-hives



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ALBERT CLAYPOOL,v OF WESTON, OHI`O;

Letters Patent No. 111,107, dated January 24. 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN- BEE-HIVES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent 'and making pari: ofthe same.

'o 'whom it may concern,

Be it vknown that I, ALBERT GLAYPoo-n, M; D., of Weston, in the countyof Wood and yState of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvementin a Bee-Hive; and I do declare that the following is a Itrue andaccurate description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon and being a partof this specification, in which- Figure-lis a perspectiveview oi` myhive, with the front, outer door open,- thc cap raised, and one 'of thecap-boxes removed;

Figure 2 is'a perspective view of thehive from the rear side, with myimproved feeding-box applied 3 Figure 3, sheet 2, is a cross-section ofthe hive and Cad);

- Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the combframes;

Figure 5 is an elevation of the lower comb-rack;

Figure 6 is-an enlarged detached cross-section of the moth-trap; and

Figure 7 isacross-sectio'n of the feeding-box.

Like letters indicate like `parts in each ligure.

'lhe nature of this invention relates toau improvement in bee-hives; andconsists,

. First, in the combination of the casing, the combframes,l the inclinedslotted top, and the sloping honeyboard; and l Lastly, in the novel andpeculiar construction of 'a feeding-box.

A represents the body of my hive, havingits honeyboard B inclined towardthe front, and its top, composed of transverse slots, C, inclined to therear.

D are cap-boxes, open underneath, and resting on the open top of thehive, and covered by the cap E.

F is a glazed door in the front of the hive, closing in the framesG,whose lower front corners rest o'n the sill of v"the outerwooden door H,as shown in' fig. 3, and whoserear and upper sides engage with and areretained in their upright positionsby the notches in the comb-racks I.lllhe construction of these frames is fully shown in g. 4.

The honey-board may be made oi' two pieces, one

, lying in the other, as shown iu lig. 3, or of one piece,

with a rabbet, d, planed out of the front edge, leading out under thesill of the door to the landing-ledge b. J is a slide in the sill,provided with an opening, c, for the passage of the bees, which. slide,by reversing, gray be made to close entirely their entrance to'the ive.

K is a wire-gauze frame, adjustably secured in` the back part of thehive, under 'the honey-board.

L are moth-entrances, giving access Jto'the space under thehoney-board.

rllhe inner ends of the passages have a light selfclosing "valve, d,hung over them, extending nearly to the bottom of the passage, so thatthe moths entering the front ends of the passage, seeinglight beforethem, push open the valves and are trapped in the lower compartment intheir attempt to enter the hive. .r

Experience has shown that moths will seek any entrance through cracksand loose joints to the hive other than that through which the bees areconstantly passiugin and out; hence they are readily caught in thisreceptacle, and removed as often as necessary through the opening atythe back. 4

M is an opening in the honey-board covered with wire-ganze, and

N are other openings in the upper part of the hive, protected in likemanner, through which the hive is Ventilated.

O is a feeding-box, composed tting the top of the hive under the cap,fthe upper being provided with a series of transverse slats, g, 'to theunder sideoil which several layers of coarse musli n, h, interposedbetween the upper and lower frames,

are tacked, as shown in g. 7

\Vith vthe frames construetedas shown, the bees, following a naturaltendency, commence the formation of the comb in the uppermost corner,and work diagonally across, thereby enabling them to brace it wellagainst the front ledge as they work across, and in winter they will,as-usual, commence eating Vout the honey at the bottom, and work up tothe upper corner last, eating out the comb clean.

,Irrwoi-king, the. dirt which accumulates on the honeylboard-is carriedto the front, its gravity cans# ing it to gather'in the rabbct il,whence it is, readily removed by lifting up the slide J.

The open top givesthe bees ready access tothe boxes at all times. V

The peculiar arrangement ot" theframes in the racks permits of theirexamination and removal, to be replaced by Aother and empty ones. i

In very cold weather bees are apt to suffer from cold, and frequentlyperish.' At such times `the eapbogies may be removed and the top coveredby a piece of felt, orsevcral thicknesses or' woolen cloth, which willabsorb the moisture arising iu the hive from the exhalations of thebees, which would otherwise be condensed in and frozen iu the upper partof the hive, and therebylower its temperature.

If necessary toward the close of winter to feed the bees, thefeeding-.box is. placed on top under the cap, and the cells tilled with.molasses or other food, which soaks through the muslin to the underside, so that the bees mayhave `ready and easy access to the entire'under surface, and feed without crowding of two frames, ef,

What' I cla-iin as my invention, and desire to see f, having interposedbetween chem layers of cloth,

cure by Letters Patent, is h, and divided into cells on the upper sideby trans- 1. The combination of the casing A, the inclined versepartitions, g, as and for the VApurpose set forth. slotted top C, thesloping honey-board B, the comb- ALBERT CLAYPOOL, M. D.

frame G, and the racks I, all constructed and arranged substantially asdescribed and shown, for the purposes Witnesses: set forth. FREDERICKEBERTS,

2. The feeding-box 0, constructed in two. sections, M. STEWART.

